Shipmates
by malreina
Summary: Aboard the Jolly Roger, Regina and Emma finally have time to consider what's transpired between them. Set after the season 2 finale. One-shot, Swan Queen fluff.


Waves lapped at the Jolly Roger's hull, a dull roar in the dead of night. Regina wasn't sure how sailors slept with the noise, but she supposed it was something you got used to. She hadn't quite made it there yet. Two nights aboard the pirate ship and the sound still kept her awake, or else invaded her dreams when she managed to drift off.

She had never been one to experience insomnia. People had often demanded how she slept at night with the weight of her conscience, and truthfully, the answer was _quite well_. But now, adrift on an ocean in a different world with no land in sight— her little boy in the hands of those who tortured her— sleep was slow to come.

So Regina watched the white-capped waves beneath the unfamiliar stars of a foreign sky.

"You sure it's safe to be out here alone? If you fall overboard, we'd never know."

Regina startled at the voice and turned to see Emma Swan, blonde hair gleaming silver in the moonlight. She gave the woman a half-smile and turned back to the water's expanse, propping her elbows on the railing.

"Do you plan to push me overboard, Miss Swan?"

Emma sidled up and leaned into the railing next to the older woman, looking out upon the black water.

"Nah. I think we're well past squabbling and attempted murder."

Regina gave a wry chuckle and a sidelong glance at Emma. "Yes, I do believe we are."

Silence fell between the two women, though it was not uncomfortable. Wispy clouds lazily trailed across the night sky, and off in the distance, a whale-like creature surfaced and blew a spout of mist before descending into the depths. A cold breeze picked up and rustled the sails. Regina pulled her coat tighter.

"I, um… I can't get Henry out of my head tonight," Emma said.

"You certainly came to the right person."

"You too, huh?"

"Every day," said Regina.

Emma was quiet for a moment, then she took a deep breath and words tumbled from her in a rush. "This is all making me realize I owe you an apology— a _lot_ of apologies, but especially this one. I had no right to keep Henry from you, Regina. You raised him when I couldn't. Hell, if Storybrooke wasn't secret, you could have brought the entire legal system down on my head. I was in the wrong, and I— I'm so sorry for what I've put you through."

Regina masked her surprise and regarded Emma with a slight arch of her eyebrow until the younger woman squirmed under her gaze. Her face softened.

"You did what you thought was best for Henry. I made some terrible decisions— mistakes I regret. Had I been in your shoes… I can't say I'd have done things differently."

Emma offered her a smile like a peace-pipe. "For everything else that's happened, I really do think you're a good mother."

"Thank you, Emma." Regina returned the smile and looked back out at the ocean. "Sometimes I feel like I need reminding."

Emma leaned into her and bumped shoulders. Regina stiffened a little at the affectionate contact, but forced herself to relax. It had been a long time since anyone cared to be personal with her; she needed to remind herself of that as well.

"Henry wouldn't be the gallant little thing he is without you," Emma said. "That's your influence, not mine."

Regina gave a quiet laugh. "I don't know— I think gallantry runs in the Charming family. Emma…" She glanced down at the black waves battering the ship, then turned her eyes on the younger woman, filled not with her usual commanding air, but humility and perhaps a little meekness. "You gave up Henry under difficult circumstances, out of necessity— not because you didn't truly want him. I… I'm trying to understand that. I _do_ understand it, I just— I'm coming to terms with it. You're his mother too. Emma, I don't think it was coincidence I adopted _your_ son."

Emma nodded and met her eyes. "He's _our_ son, isn't he?"

It was Regina's turn to squirm, and she shifted nervously, her boots clicking on the polished deck.

"You know what I mean," said Emma.

"We've done the impossible together twice now. Opening the portal, shutting down the failsafe…"

"Only one magic's that powerful, right? True—"

"Emma, please," Regina interrupted. "Don't… don't say it."

To her surprise, the younger woman looked not simply taken aback, but a little hurt. She stammered and quickly backpedaled.

"That… that isn't how I meant it. I thought I lost my true love a very long time ago. To think that it wasn't _him_, that it _wasn't_ true love… it's hard to think about. I'm not against this— against _you_, Emma. I just need time."

"Probably never thought you'd be into boobs, either."

Regina gave a choked snort. Leave it to Emma Swan to lighten the situation with a complete lack of decorum. "Actually, I…" She cleared her throat. "I've always appreciated the female form."

Emma grinned. "Well, good, because I've always thought you were gorgeous."

"Really?" Regina found herself blushing and couldn't help a smile that tugged insistently at her lips. She felt like a teenager again.

"Yeah. Ever since I first saw you running out of your house when I brought Henry back. Crying and mascara all over your face… I thought you were beautiful."

Regina gave a laugh, accompanied by the most genuine smile she'd felt in ages. Emma's smile broadened in response.

"I've never seen you as the Evil Queen, Regina. Maybe a really cranky mayor sometimes," Emma said and gently elbowed her, "but not an evil queen. I knew there was good in you that first time I saw you take Henry in your arms."

A lump formed in Regina's throat. She swallowed hard, fighting the sting of tears in her eyes. Her mother always told her only girls with no backbone cried. But then, her mother told her love was weakness, too. Regina let go of something inside her and allowed a tear to streak down her face. It felt cold against the biting ocean wind.

But the woman next to her was warm.

Emma's hand was on her arm, and her face was close. Invitingly close. They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Regina closed her eyes and threw caution to the wind that whipped at the sails. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on Emma's mouth, taking the woman's lower lip between her own. She tasted like vanilla, with a salty bite of ocean mist from the spray that hit the hull below. Regina felt Emma's hands on her hips, and she nuzzled her nose into the younger woman's cheek.

Emma gave her a knowing smile as they pulled apart. "You need some time, huh?"

"Just a little," Regina said and slid her arm around Emma's waist.

When she looked back out at the ocean, the night seemed a little less dark.


End file.
